New York Mets: 10 Reasons Terry Collins Is the Right Man for the Job

The New York Mets have had 20 managers in their 49-year history. Some great (see Davey Johnson and Gil Hodges), some easily forgettable (see Art Howe and Joe Torre's Mets tenure). The current skipper of the 2011 version of the New York Mets is not as easily cast aside as other predecessors could be.

He took over the reigns from a very unsuccessful Jerry Manuel (204-212, .490 winning pct) in the offseason, after a major shake-up in management led to the firing of GM Omar Minaya. New GM Sandy Alderson wanted a good baseball man with high character and several other traits to go along with it.

That is exactly what he got. After several potential replacement managers were interviewed, Collins got the job to mixed reviews. The vast majority of fans wanted to see either Wally Backman or a return of Bobby Valentine to the organization. In the end, it seems that Alderson knew what he was doing after all.

Terry Collins was, and is, the best choice for manager for this team and for the teams to come in the near future. Here are 10 reasons why...

The Fiery, Passionate Side of Terry

Reason No. 1: Passion

Terry Collins has been building a reputation for confrontation. Already this season, he has been ejected for arguing with umpires two times. That may not sound like a lot, but for the amount of arguing he does, it is surprising that number is so low. He is always willing to offer his support for his team when a call goes against them.

He knows how and when to argue a point to make the umpires respect his position, but he knows when to stop before it goes too far and he gets tossed. It is more hurtful for the team to lose their manager than lose an argument. This is why Collins knows to get his two cents in and stop. There is a limit to how far a manager should go and still garner respect from the umpire he is relying on to call a good game for his team.

It is equally important to let the umpires now they were wrong. It's psychological. If an umpire knows a team disagrees with calls, the umpire will subconsciously begin to go easy on the team he has burned. Collins, like all managers, knows this. He utilizes it. His spirit and willingness to fight with passion and stand up for his players is contagious.

Players who know their manager has their back will have their manager's back in return. The same passion he shows in the dugout, the team shows on the field. It helps them to have fun and stay relaxed, while being able to focus on the task at hand.

They can do what comes natural. Something they have done since they were little boys. Allowing passion into the fold allows their instincts to kick in. That can be beneficial. Collins is smart enough to let these players play. He'll do the rest.

The Rah Rah Side of Terry

Reason No. 2: Motivation

All managers have a bit of cheerleader in them. After all, if they aren't showing appreciation to their players, it won't be long until the owners aren't showing appreciation to them. Terry Collins has this down pat. He is a big supporter of what his players do.

He gives them green lights to run, green lights to swing and green lights to celebrate. There is something to be said for a manger who will let his players do something seemingly as idiotic as "the claw." When players are struggling, he is the first one to pat them on the back and give them an encouraging word.

When a player gets a big hit, he is usually the first one out of the dugout to shake their hand. Players have to feel like they are being cheered on; that their coach is on their side. Not all players respond to a stoic, blank expression and motionless passion.

It takes a good manager to understand that there is a time to cheer and a time to encourage. Terry has done both exceptionally well.

The Confidence Boosting Side of Terry

Reason No. 3: Confidence

All managers are supposed to have a special relationship with their players. After 30 or so preseason games, 162 regular season games and countless practices, it's safe to say a coach knows his players well.

Most of the time, that can have a bad effect as the season dwindles down to the final months. The players have heard the same person barking at them since March (in some cases February)—after several months, it gets tiring.

In the case of Terry Collins, he keeps the team fresh by keeping their confidence high. I eluded to it earlier, but he shows faith in them to do their own thing. They run when they want to run, hit away when they want to hit away and the catchers call the game they want. That is a lot of confidence to show in a team. He puts players in positions that test them and keeps them in that position to show that he believes in them.

For example, when Daniel Murphy had so many errors earlier this season, he kept Murphy at second base, despite knowing that he can play the outfield. Only after David Wright and Ike Davis both went down, did Collins have to move Murphy around. Even then, Murphy answered critics by continuing to hit well in the fourth spot. He rewarded the faith Collins showed in him with his production.

Confidence is a major part of this game. If a manager doesn't show that he has it for his players, his players will not have it for themselves. That leads to slumps and eventual demotions.

The Pitcher-Handling Side of Terry

Reason No. 4: Handling Pitchers

It is the hardest part of the job as a manager. When does the manager go to the bullpen? When does he take the chance that the starting pitcher is out of gas? How soon is too soon? How late is too late? These are the questions that every manager must wrestle with in each and every game.

Terry Collins does give his starting pitchers a chance to pitch. His team ranks 20th in quality starts (six innings or more) with 63. While that isn't great for stats, it is great for the pitchers. They know they will get a good opportunity to work out of a jam. A few times this year, Collins has allowed his younger starters, Neise and Gee, to pitch through bad innings early in the game. They bounced back and settled down.

Most of the time, they lost in those games, but Collins understands that there is a bigger principle at work here. If he gives a rookie like Dillon Gee the hook in the third inning for giving up four runs, how will he learn to pitch through adversity for later in his career? Gee is a long-term type of starter for this franchise.

He is in the Rick Reed mold for this organization—a pitcher who will consistently give you quality starts and rely mostly on finesse as opposed to power pitching. Rick Reed, in his Mets career, was called the "poor man's Greg Maddux." Even Greg Maddux had to learn sometime how to become Greg Maddux. It takes experience—experience that a pitcher just can't get in spring training or in the minors.

They have to handle big-league bats and get smacked around. They have to learn to adjust and move on from it and learn from the displeasure of the experience. That's what Collins does for these pitchers—he helps them get experience in good and bad situations.

The Mentoring Side of Terry

Reason No. 5: Knowing the Youth Movement

Terry Collins is not new to the organization. Last year, he was the Mets minor-league field coordinator. Simply put, he was in charge of player development in the minor league system for the Mets. He knows the young players who have been called up this season for the team.

He knows the players who will be called up in September. He knows their strengths and their weaknesses. He knows how to use them properly. That is more than most managers can say in the game today and certainly more than most all-time Mets managers can say.

The Mets are involving themselves in a youth movement. Like it or not, admit it or not, for financial reasons or not, the Mets are going in a younger direction. Who better to guide the team's new GM Sandy Alderson in that direction than a man who knows the youth that they are relying on?

Players like Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada, Fernando Martinez, Josh Satin, Matt Harvey, Jennry Mejia and Reese Havens (to name a few) are all players who know him. Collins scouted them and he knows them. They will have an easier time listening to his instruction than a new face. That familiarity is a very helpful factor.

The Fatherly Side of Terry

Reason No. 6: Approachable

A manager must be accessible to his players. The players have to feel like they can come and talk to their skipper about anything at anytime. Whether it's a family issue, a financial issue or a baseball issue, the player must have that sense of security.

Terry Collins has proven that he is approachable. His players know that they can trust him to be there for them when they need him. He has served as a role model for the veterans and a fatherly figure for the younger guys.

The veterans can look to him for an example of how to conduct themselves to the fans, the media and on the field. The kids can look to him for guidance and advice on adjusting to the major leagues. It is a delicate balance that few managers can handle. Terry Collins can handle that balance brilliantly.

The Mediator Side of Terry

Reason No. 7: Media Mediator

The Mets managers have not had a great history with the media of New York. The media and the Mets relationship has been very questionable at times. From Omar Minaya accusing journalist Adam Rubin of wanting his job, to the endless barrage of inaudible ramblings of Jerry Manuel, the media and the Mets have not had a healthy relationship. 

Terry Collins came in to a circus. Even before the Mets hired Sandy Alderson as their GM, Terry Collins was affiliated with the insanity of the Mets as a public relations nightmare throughout their system. From Bernie Madoff to Tony Bernazard, the effects of the media circus had to be felt all the way down the ladder into the minors. Collins knows how to handle this circus.

Sandy Alderson knew that the manager is the everyday face of the team and he must know how to handle that role. Terry Collins is always vocally positive regarding his players. He is always publicly supportive when asked specific things about his team. He avoids the "long-term, what-if scenario" type of questions very well.

He chooses to help set the tone for his team to stay in the present by keeping the questions in the present. He is congenial and always cordial when addressing the media. Like a good poker player, he never shows his hand until the right time. Usually, that right time is behind closed doors.

He calls closed-door meetings and discusses team issues in private, but in public, he puts on the good face. The players know that what is said in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse. Collins is the main reason for that.

The Flexible Side of Terry

Reason No. 8: Adjustments

The Mets have had so many incidents in the past several seasons for managers to deal with. This season is no exceptions for Terry Collins. The season began with the Beltran question: would he stay in center field? Beltran did the honorable thing and volunteered to move to right, knowing it was a better move for the team and his health.

Next, Collins had to face a 5-13 start. That start still haunts this team today as they are hovering around the .500 mark and have struggled to overcome that mark. A better start would have ensured a much better record now than they currently have. Next, came the many injuries.

One by one, big names went down: Chris Young, Ike Davis, David Wright, Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy to name a few. The team overcame these too because of their ability to be flexible in the mold of their manager. Then came the biggest controversies: trade-deadline moves.

They lost their closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers on the day of the All-Star Game. A few weeks later, they lost Beltran to the San Francisco Giants. After all that, the team still was competing.

Then they lost Daniel Murphy for the season and Jose Reyes for the majority of the remainder of the season, both on the same day. Then, Mike Pelfrey makes some inappropriate comments about the organization and his place in it for the future.

Collins took all of that in stride, too. He called on Ruben Tejada to step up in the place of Reyes and Lucas Duda in the place of Daniel Murphy. Collins calls Pelfrey in his office for a "clear the air" talk and all is well with the Mets and Pelfrey. Duda and Tejada embraced the roles they were given and have become key players in the absence of two big names.

This team has been able to adapt to many different scenarios. They've had a good teacher.

The Integrity Side of Terry

Reason No. 9: Character

The Mets have had many managers who have been good guys. It takes more than a nice guy to lead a team though. Terry Collins has not only been a nice guy, but a good example. He has not put himself in bad situations to make himself look like a fool.

He doesn't throw bases or curse out media. He doesn't slam doors or give fans the finger, like some managers and players do these days. Rather, he is a throwback to the days when a man knew how to act like a man. Does he argue? Yes. We covered that earlier. But he shows restraint.

There is something to be said for a person who can show restraint and learn from past experiences. In past managerial campaigns in Houston and Anaheim, he was perceived to be a weak person when confronted with stubborn players.

He has had those type of incidents this season as well, but his experience has helped him handle it immediately and properly as to avoid further damage to himself and the organization. He has held himself to a higher standard and it shows.

The team has not had to worry about poor decisions off the field by their decision-maker. They have been able to focus on other, more important matters of in-house business.

The Accountable Side of Terry

Reason No. 10: Accountability

The New York Mets have had so many issues over the past several years. Many of them come down to one thing: being held accountable. Whether it's a player, a coach or a GM, there has been a lack of holding people accountable and responsible for their actions in this franchise for many years.

The addition of Sandy Alderson has derailed that run of instability. His addition of Terry Collins has ushered in a new culture of holding oneself accountable when you do or say the wrong thing. This is evident by a few things.

First, the team has not had player blow-ups like we have seen from people like K-Rod. Not that there aren't players capable of it, it just has not happened. It's a more self-aware ball club than it has been in years past.

Secondly, there have been no cases of tirades from players. There have been no cases of cursing out other teammates, fans or media in this baseball team. In fact, the opposite is true. They have shown kindness to fans across the country and unity amongst themselves.

David Wright was seen playing catch with kids in the stands in Atlanta earlier in the season. The players have visited hospitals, firehouses and long-term care facilities all year long as a team. The players who had to miss any visits had to get permission first before missing.

Last season, there was a big controversy over three players (Carlos Beltran, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo) missing a visit to a 9/11 firehouse. All but one (Carlos Beltran) had no excuse. This is a team that knows they have to answer for their own actions—if not to the media, then to each other and to their manager.

That has not always been the case. It is now. Terry Collins has shown that he is accountable and responsible for himself and asks nothing less of those around him. That has led to a more respectable team, a more embraceable team.

The Many Sides of Terry Have Been a Splendid Addition

In closing, the New York Mets have had many let downs, bad managers and bad characters in their system. This has all culminated in the downward spiral that every fan has experienced while following this team. The Mets have had a recent history of failure, embarrassment and idiotic public confusion.

They needed a change. Sandy Alderson has brought change off the field that has impacted the team on the field. The biggest change for the Mets is one that will affect them for much longer than just in 2011.

Terry Collins has changed the culture of this team, its players, their personality, their confidence, their execution and their character. He is the answer to guide them into the future. He currently has commandeered a mediocre team without almost all of their best talent into a .500 team that the fans love.

Imagine how great they would have been if they had not had so many injuries. If the present is any indication of his ability to manage a team and bring out their best, imagine what the future will look like.

With Terry Collins at the helm, it finally looks bright.